Neal Schon - Interview Recorded Live: 11/4/1984 - Rock Influence - , More Neal Schon at Music Vault: www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault on RU-vid: goo.gl/DUzpUF
He really is one of the best. IMO back in the 70’s & 80’s it really was him and Eddie Van Halen because they both had the technical abilities to play anything, never hit a bad note but the reason they are the best is because they were innovative with the music they created, they both were very good rhythm players you were just as excited to listen to the rhythms as the solos which is really rare to be amazing at both most of the time lead players are so focused on shredding they don’t spend the time playing rhythm guitar so if they are the only rhythm player in a band the rhythm guitar parts are bland. My favorite things about both Neal and Eddie is their ability to play with so much feeling every note they play means something they never just ripped scales every note had a purpose and with that being said they weren’t trying to show off all the time they wanted to serve the songs making sure they played the best parts for each song they didn’t try to cram as many notes in each song to show off like so many other bands of that era. So many guitarists from that era only cared about trying to be faster then everyone else, the huge egos players making fun of other bands, players and genres of music because they played more notes in 30 seconds then them and the music suffered it just means nothing to rip up and down scales it’s so tasteless! You can say just as much using feeling with one note then 100 notes with no feeling. That type of thing still exists and probably always will. Back 10+ years ago I was in a serious band that I started and I remember my one buddy who was in a metal band with all musicians that had crazy good musicianship they could play anything and my buddy told me It will be many years before my band does anything because I had only been playing guitar less then 2 years and never played a show before and he’s been playing shows for 10 years with the best musicians in my area and they still haven’t been able to play this one local venue that was the scene venue and only good bands were allowed to play they wouldn’t let anyone play it, all the famous bands played there. Well my bands 3rd show was at that venue and on the huge stage not the club side, we got music on local radio stations and were interviewed on the radio, played battle of the bands for a huge concert the radio station put on every year, got a song in a movie and on all the Internet streaming platforms one was pandora which was actually not easy to get on back then. When we got to play that big venue my buddy asked how much I paid and who I knew to play that venue? I said after our first show we got asked by a bigger band to play a big benifit show and because we played so good and the songs were good we got asked to play that big venue. He said I don’t believe it I have been playing locally 10 years and get turned down every time to play there and you have only been playing guitar not even 2 years that bull shit! The promoter for that big venue commented on this post on Facebook and said he didn’t believe I have only been playing less then 2 years and if that’s true I have a really brite future in music if I was able to do all this in less then 2 years! Then he said to my buddy no offense but it doesn’t matter if you have been playing 50 years, 50 days, doesn’t matter if ur the best musician what matters is writing good songs and sounding good playing live all that matters is the noises that come out of them speaker’s do you think the fans really cares about the history of the band members? No they do not! I’m sorry but ur band just doesn’t have what it takes ur all great musicians but the songs aren’t good, you guys play this intense metal music and every one stands still on stage, everyone looks 50 years old, the singer wore baggy jeans a tie-dye shirt 2 sizes too big with dirty white shoes he’s bald and couldn’t even trim the sides? I mean come on dude you gotta look like a rockstar a little bit not like a grandpa! Ur bands image online is this old school metal band the singer should have on leather pants and shirt shave his head boots chains and covered in tattoos but he literally looks like someone’s grandpa! The music video it looks like a joke video people even said that in the comments like was the singer sick for the video shoot? No way it’s this dude! You are a sick drummer u play blast beats with insane dbl kicks but when all the crazy break down is happening nobody moves? Sorry man but ur band will never make it stop wasting ur time start a new band! Even if the songs were good enough in ur band it’s not just the music it’s the whole package! Just look at his band everyone looks young, they move around on stage, they dress like they are playing a rock show, their drummer is bald but shaves his head and facial hair and goes tanning and works out so he looks like he should be there. I mean at the big show they played for me nobody knew them there but every single kid at the show stayed at the stage to watch them because they look right, they moved around, played good music that kids get into and we’re funny ur band will never be that.
Schon and Lukather are two of the best players to ever pick up a guitar. Their bends and vibratos can not be touched by anyone!!!!! What those guys do to my soul and heart, is immeasurable!!!
You just mentioned my two all time favorites! I love both of those guys. And Lukather has a great singing voice as well. Neal does too, although he doesn't sing lead very often.
I've seen Neil many times. He's been playing soaring solos for over 50 years and still plays at a super high level. At 15 years old he had to decide what band he was going to play in, Derek and the Dominoes or Santana. A real prodigy.
DAMN!!! He was 30 year's old in November of 1984, and I had just Graduated from High School at 17 year's of age, in May 1984. I've been listening to Journey since 1978. Time surely flies by.
Neil was from San Mateo Ca. too. went to argon high . was is my all time guitar hero.... i went to his house when i was 10 yrs. old . he play great back then and all the music back then was great. i also knew his daddy , i worked at a sandwich shop , the lions share 25 th ave. neil also played in a Jazz jam on 25th ave. music store. He was, a is, way head of his time. The local history of Neil and San Mateo would make a great movie. He live on ninth and grant in San mateo duplex. His girlfriend was debbie Walker and debbie white. He is journey , all those love songs is really neil , he lived every moment a every chorded he played. Bad finger was a big infulence to his sound . His real dose not talk alot about personal stuff because he is a right on person.!!! but their is some hollywood extra extra there too. love neil always.
Thank you Neal for reminiscing the old, infamous San Fran’s blues/jazz/rock club scene. Those were some amazing times and you did a great job of speaking to it 🙌
Niel, Jonathon and Steve were so PERFECT for each other. All three ULTRA cool and obviously handsome for the girls. The three of them took Journey to a whole other level after Gregg Rollie, who's exit really was a blessing. Cain helped take Journey to another level with Escape, his first record that he co wrote. I remember playing Escape over and over again, I will NEVER forget those days.....
Great ! I read an interview where he stated he fall asleep with one of two albums as a kid, The Exp AYE or Fresh Cream. Maybe this help him get so good before he could legally drive a car ;)
@@martinadejaquiz2482 I have seen him in videos recently and of course he has changed physically (a lot, I would say). I mean, today he is 67, so it's pretty obvious that he's older. People do change in 37 years.
Outstanding treasure of an interview. The new wave of British Heavy Metal had influenced a lot kids in the Bay Area by 1984. Several successful metal bands/musicians came out from it.... Metallica being the biggest of them. It's a bummer to hear Neil speak of the declining Bay Area music scene by 1984? Sunset Strip Club scene was about to become the next place to be. Everything changes.
He plays so well. I really like his style. I put myself in this interview and I heard the interviewer ask "If you could live anywhere other than Mobile, Alabama where would you live?" I would answer "Nowhere, I love it here." At least that's the way I heard the interview. I truly love Mobile.
Fantastic candid interview. Love the Chevy Chase thing at the end. It's funny how Neal was completely unaware of the burgeoning Bay Area thrash scene that was exploding at the time of this interview, but at the same time it's understandable as that wasn't his scene.
haha every interview I ever see of an American in an office environment..there is aways but always an American football helmet somewhere on the desk or in the background!
You mean you want to look for the seems in his plastic nose? I cant understand why people have work done when it's the first thing you notice about them and it makes em look false, and you wonder what else is phoney.
@@ianburton8050 with the fro he looked so old, I thought he was older than Perry. I was shocked he is 5 years yonger. It's amazing how much younger he looks without it.
The MAGICAL era of music! Early 70's...every iconic rock star was just a kid then...very approachable before the 80's machine took over! WOW...this interview ended badly. This chick was horrible.
no kidding . . . the interviewer kept baiting him after making fun of his Chevy Chase impression. He was smart not to take the bait after that. She had no idea who she was talking to: one of the finest rock guitarists in history.
A lot of surgery maybe like Michael Jackson his skin is like a plastic bag and by the way this guy takes the credit from fans o social media and later block without a reason a big deception he only care the Money his guitars prs ,Gibson les paul every guitar 6000 and the cheapest prs 3000 and he shows on his lambos and Bentley now his name is Neal $chon ! Sorry neal you are very poser and Perry never works with you again accepts GAME OVER ,NEAL!
True he didn't need that at all. Even when revelations came out in 2011 he was still looking fine now on other hand no idea what he's done to himself he still plays like a demon
